apocalypse, is that you?
(Originally published on March 17, 2020)
You have a cupcake. A delicious, fluffy, moist (sorry) cupcake. You cut it into quarters, eat three of them, and then put the last piece back in the box for later, as a little something to look forward to. For the rest of the day, you are productive, doing work, eating healthily, knowing that the quarter of cupcake is waiting for you in the box to reward your efforts. When the time presents itself, you open the box to find that the cupcake has been eaten. It’s gone forever. Can you even believe this is happening?
Yes, I can be unnecessarily dramatic, and yes, dessert is my favorite sport, but this happened to millions of students. Just replace the quarter piece of cupcake with the last quarter of the 2019-2020 school year, whether it be elementary, junior high, high school, or college. If you are a human being that lives on planet earth during this particular moment in time, you know what this is about. The. Dang. Coronavirus. Aka COVID-19.
As you might know if you read my last post, I am freshman in college, which has now transitioned to online instruction for the remainder of spring semester. Just two weeks ago, the thought of a few weeks at home sounded like the best idea in the world. I was barely sleeping due to numerous midterms, stressed out about classes, feeling overcommitted to too many extracurriculars, and was longing to take a shower barefoot. But now, as I write this on a flight from North Carolina where I just moved all of my belongings into storage, I want to go back. This last little piece of cupcake was going to be so sweet, I just know it. Dance showcases, time with friends, ah-hah moments, a million more chapel pics, and on and on. I sometimes feel guilty for being so disappointed at this abrupt end to my first year in college, because, after all, I am not a senior. I can only imagine how surreal and heartbreaking this must be for them. But, as I was reminded in a dance class I took recently, my feelings are valid.
So I’ve decided to take this quarantine/time at home as an opportunity to set and achieve goals, reflect on my first 0.75 years in college across the country from my family and be grateful for what I have. This is easier said than done, but a little positivity never hurt anyone. Here’s a few things I want to do while I wait for this virus situation to go away:
· Take advantage of free online dance classes that this inspiring community is so generously offering
· Finish reading Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women
· Watch Greta Gerwig’s Little Women approximately 782,463 more times
· Work on my improv
· Post more on this blog!
· Brainstorm ideas for the contemporary dance group I started with two of my friends at school
· Read my Bible more
· And oh yeah, I guess do all of my online school work (Duke, if you ever read this, I promise you’re at the top of my priority list ;))
This situation, while unfortunate, is already helping me treasure each moment. Of course, I am fully aware that this pandemic is affecting others significantly more than it’s affecting me. I am extremely grateful that my family and I are safe and healthy, and I know that there are so many people who have it much worse than I do. However, because I didn’t get to finish my cupcake, I am even hungrier for the next one. Ok, now I want a cupcake; airplane pretzels just aren’t cutting it.
top: move-in day!
bottom: move-out day